Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates to a vehicle impact force limiting system, in particular to a gas impact force limiting system which discharges a flow of gas forward in a lengthwise or longitudinal direction into an atmosphere and which reduces a driving and an impact forces during a vehicle collision.
Frontal impacts are the number one fatality and injury-causing mode of crash, resulting in 64 percent of all driver and right-front passenger fatalities and 65 percent of all driver and right-front passenger injuries.
To help vehicle occupants survive the tremendous forces of a crash, vehicle designers have developed numerous safety features and systems.
For example, modern vehicles have front and rear xe2x80x9ccrush zonesxe2x80x9d that are designed to deform or crumple in a front or rear-end collision. The crumpling lengthens the duration of the crash, and helps absorb and dissipate crash energy, which lowers the rate of deceleration in the vehicle occupant compartment.
A vehicle""s ability to protect an occupant in a crash depends on its ability to absorb the force of impact rather than transfer it to the occupant.
When a frontal impact is limited to crushable parts, the rate of deceleration is usually low. However, when an impact involves harder structural parts, the rate of deceleration is usually high.
In a severe frontal collision, impact forces are so great that structures in the front of the vehicle reach their limit of crumpling, and the impact forces begin to deform the occupant cabin.
Unfortunately, no current safety system can provide complete occupant protection in severe frontal collisions, and very severe frontal collisions can cause more serious occupant""s injuries, including fatal injuriesxe2x80x94even when seat belts are properly worn and the air bags deploy.
This invention is directed to a vehicle impact force limiting system for reducing a driving, an inertial, and an impact forces during a vehicle frontal collision or a rear-impact crash.
The first object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle impact force limiting system which reduces damage to the vehicle and injury to occupants of the vehicle during a vehicle frontal collision.
The second object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle impact force limiting system which reduces the sudden relative motion of the head and neck that causes many whiplash injuries during a rear-impact crash. Many of the whiplash injuries with prolonged symptoms occur in rear impacts in which the sudden forward acceleration of an occupant""s torso causes the neck to change shape because the head doesn""t move with the torso.
The vehicle impact force limiting system comprises: means for sensing a frontal collision of a vehicle, means for sensing a rear-impact crash of a vehicle, at least one gas generator, at least one guide device or nozzle, and a switch in the occupant""s compartment to activate or actuate the gas generator(s) before a vehicle collision or in an emergency, by an occupant of the vehicle, to slow down or stop the vehicle.
The at least one gas generator with its guide device or nozzle is located outside the vehicle""s crush zone which is designed to buckle and bend in a crash to absorb the force of the crash, and this location of the at least one gas generator is designed to exclude a direct contact with an object and a damage in a collision.
The gas generator is coupled to the guide device or nozzle and is adapted to generate or produce gas at the beginning of a direct contact with an object in a collision and to discharge or expel a flow of gas forward in a lengthwise or longitudinal direction, into the atmosphere, when the gas generator is activated or actuated during a vehicle collision.
The gas flow is adapted to generate or produce a force of reaction which is applied to the vehicle and directed backward in an opposite direction to driving and to inertial forces of the vehicle, thereby reducing the driving, inertial, and impact forces during the vehicle collision. The reduced driving, inertial, and impact forces reduce damage to the vehicle and injury to occupants of the vehicle during the collision.
The gas flow can have a predetermined, or an adjustable, or a modulative force or power based on crash severity.
The gas flow is directed or guided forward into the atmosphere through a guide device or nozzle which can be adjustable.
The guide device or nozzle has wall portions surrounding the gas generator. The wall portions define a guide device or a nozzle interior containing the gas generator substantially therein such that the gas generator is enclosed within the guide device or nozzle.
The switch in the occupant""s compartment is designed to activate or actuate the gas generator before a vehicle collision or in an emergency, by an occupant of the vehicle, to generate or produce gas and to discharge the gas flow forward into the atmosphere, thereby reducing the driving force and slowing down or stopping the vehicle.
The vehicle impact force limiting system of the present invention operates either automatically or by the occupant of the vehicle.
For the automatic option, the gas generator is activated or actuated by means for sensing a vehicle frontal collision or by means for sensing a vehicle rear-impact crash.
For the occupant""s operation option, the gas generator is activated or actuated before a vehicle collision or in an emergency by a switch in the occupant""s compartment. This switch can be a manual switch, or a pedal switch which can be pressed with a foot. The manual and pedal switches are connected by wire to means for activating or actuating the gas generator. For activating or actuating the gas generator can be used and other devices.
The gas generator with its guide device or nozzle may be located on the roof or at any other suitable locations outside the crushable parts of the vehicle.
The gas generator is designed to generate a gas flow in a moderate to severe frontal collision or in rear-impact crash.
During a vehicle frontal collision, the driving or inertial force of the vehicle is directed forward in a lengthwise or longitudinal direction, while the reaction or reactive force of the gas flow is directed backward in an opposite lengthwise direction.
Thus, the reaction or reactive force of the gas flow reduces the frontal-impact force when means for sensing a vehicle frontal collision senses a collision of a selected or predetermined severity and activates or actuates the gas generator.
During a vehicle rear-impact crash, the impact force of the other vehicle is directed forward in a lengthwise or longitudinal direction of the impacted vehicle, while the reaction or reactive force of the gas flow of the impacted vehicle is directed backward in an opposite lengthwise direction.
Thus, the reaction or reactive force of the gas flow reduces the rear-impact force when the gas generator is activated or actuated by means for sensing a vehicle rear-impact crash of a selected or predetermined severity.
The objects and advantages of the vehicle impact force limiting system of the present invention, during a vehicle collision, are:
(a) to provide an impact force limiting system which reduces the impact force;
(b) to provide an impact force limiting system which minimizes any deformation of the occupant cabin;
(c) to provide an impact force limiting system which augments a vehicle ability to protect the occupants;
(d) to provide an impact force limiting system which lowers the rate of deceleration in the vehicle occupant compartment and reduces the severity of occupant""s injuries during a vehicle frontal collision; and
(e) to provide an impact force limiting system which reduces the sudden forward acceleration of an occupant""s torso and helps protect the occupant from whiplash injuries during a vehicle rear-impact crash.
Additional objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings.